Elysian Cafe

The scoop: I was dying to do a Memorial Day brunch and didn’t feel like trekking into the city, so I was thrilled that Elysian was offering their brunch menu on this hot Monday. They have outdoor seating, but we opted to sit inside and were seated in the bar area against the window. It was way too crowded in this small area. The space between the tables and bar wasn’t big enough, and every time the waiter or bus boy needed to get to the table in the corner, my boyfriend had to move his chair way over. At first he didn’t mind, but towards the end, he was really annoyed. The decor was charming, and the ceiling was very ornate and pretty. The service was good and fairly quick, and they left a bottle of water on the table which was a nice touch but also necessary because the water glasses were very small. No ice was offered for the water glasses.

Bellini

Bottoms up: Drinks at Elysian are not included in your brunch meal. I ordered a bellini for $4.50. It was VERY small. It was refreshing, but had a weird aftertaste.

I opted to get this dish without tomatoes (I hate tomatoes – I’m probably the worst Italian girl ever!) and with the lyonnaise potatoes, although I didn’t have much of a choice because they informed us they were out of fries. The omelet was a very nice size and cooked well. It had the perfect ratio of spinach to goat cheese. I really liked the potatoes. They had a really nice flavor and were not greasy at all.

Grilled chicken sandwich

Grilled chicken sandwich $10.75 / Bacon, tomato, avocado on foccacia

The sandwich was pretty big and the bread was really good. The chicken had a nice flavor and was seasoned well. The bacon was crispy. All of the ingredients on the sandwich meshed well together. I also got the lyonnaise potatoes and really enjoyed them.

The final bite: The food was delicious, and it really made up for the average drink and awkward seating arrangement!